Rustic Rose
by Cheshire Catz
Summary: Fearing the eternal fate of his parents and stranded younger brother; without them Gregory is forced to flee Scotland with his little sister Anna. He must act quick, but this proves to be hard while battling his own inner demons, and keeping himself sane - all for the sake of Anna and his family. One rose and a full autumn's moon lights the beginning of their journey.
1. Worries

_**Chapter One**_

_**Worries**_

* * *

A full circle whole against the black tapestry of the sky shone bright that evening, iridescent light filtering through the shuddering leaves in translucent slithers. Slithers of moon light illuminates fragments of the isolated grave yard. Over in the rural distance, trees that seem so beautiful in day - lush with life, twittering with birds - now became dead and sinister, each leave plucked. The branch limbs creaking, in a way similar to the sound of floor boards being stepped on by the murderous intruder who lurks upstairs. A night air pierced the flesh of those who were human, but not the un-dead."Chilly spells" were the least of the un-dead's troubles.

_Better wear a cardigan..._ the autumn wind teases as it sweeps by. A shiver run's up Gregory's back with the eerie imagery of the cemetery's ghosts walking about as they try to escape from death's unforgiving hands.. Howling in the tree tops - pleading for help.

This is no place for a rose of a girl.

Gregory however needed this howling wind to hide his sister's devastated sobs. Tears, which would rouse Rookery who lurked so closely by..night after night. It took all of Gregory's will-power to restrain himself from snapping that man's neck. Like velvet sweeping towards a tomb-stone covered thickly in moss, the wind swirled up autumn leaves around little Anna's feet.

Pacing the far end of the grave yard,leaves crunching under his anxious steps. Gregory looked up at the sky in frustration seeking an answer, groaning and rubbing his face momentarily he exhaled dropping his hands to his sides. Unsure of what to do, all he could do was occasionally grunt while demonstrating distressed body language.

Thoughtfully, he began pacing again this time; churning every possibility over and over in his mind.

_"She has to know.." _

Huffing once he ran his hands up his porcupine quills of hair.

"I just have to tell Anna, we feed, and we get the hell of out Scotland!" thinking stupidly out loud, he whipped around.

_"not a soul in site, just the wind rustling the leaves"_

Such simple words surged a small current of control in his chest, a flicker of control over the situation. A flicker of hope - it died, leaving Gregory feeling completely helpless. With his cold finger tips to his temples, he shut his eyes and thought back to the hasty conversation he had with his parents before they left.

_"How long will you be gone?" _

_"Two weeks at the very most dear" his mother responded gently, she placed a hand on his shoulder, "It's going to be okay"_

_"I know Mother" _

_He'd been left alone before, he could protect himself, but also protecting Anna?_

_"I don't know if I can -"_

_"Gregory, doubt is a fear we cannot afford" his father interjected sternly, eyes serious, voice fatherly "We trust you"_

"Trust _me_ father" the teenage immortal thought through gritted teeth, "when I say: I cannot do this."

* * *

Only a couple of hours ago a vampire from the clan had traveled to Anna and Gregory's hiding place bearing bad news.

_ It was a silver dusk with clouds dappled over the sunset warning a thunderstorm._

_She was no more than eighteen years old with glossy black hair that flowed to her waist, at her throat she wore a peculiar black gem. She was ethereal in her elegant appearance. At the other end of the grave yard, holding her Victorian era skirts and treading carefully over the graves. Vampiric red eyes flickering around - seeking something out. Gregory called out to the stranger._

_"Gregory?"_

_"Yes?" he responded, skeptically moving closer to the stranger, he saw her chest rise then fall in a gust of relief, and a small smile spread over porcelain features._

_"Gregory, my name is Elizabeth" moving closer to him, her hands floating delicately outwards as Anna's did when she was being careful._

_"I'm not a threat" she promised..._

_"I''ll be the judge of that." Gregory thought bracing himself for any traitorous conflict._

_"Your parents - Freda and Frederick Sackville-Bagg, correct?"_

_He nodded._

_Elizabeth closed her eyes briefly, "I'm afraid I bear bad news for you and your sister"_

_She gestured him to sit down, of course he refused. The words cascaded from her reddened lips in low solemn undertones and Gregory's all ready darkened world inked over._

_"You're parents have been captured by the vampire hunters three days ago"_

_No. No. No. No._

_"M-My brother?" _

_"He escaped, but is extremely weak" Elizabeth replied gravely, "The clan is searching"_

_"Are my parents.. d-dead?" it boiled his question split his chest and spluttered off his tongue. Why hadn't she clarified such crucial information!?_

_"Still existing"_

_"Existing..right.. we're not technically 'living' " Gregory though and his non-beating heart proved this. _

_"The hunters are not wishing to destroy them.." her voice dropped to a hardly audible whisper "they want the stone"_

_"Right.." Gregory nodded, of course they did. That red jewel that would either A) Send their kind to the depths of hell or B) Return their mortality. _

_"The clan is putting plans together as we speak" Elizabeth assured with a nod,_

_Hope._

_"You and your sister must keep moving, Scotland is no longer safe for you"_

_Gregory was numb to Elizabeth's words. Unresponsive. Stiff as a corpse._

_"Tell little Anna, and leave tonight"_

Once the sunset disappeared, so did she.

* * *

An owl hooted in the distance, breaking Gregory's reverie.

_"Tonight"_

He had to pull himself together, without his sanity Anna would suffer and he would let is family down.

_"Doubt is a fear we cannot afford"_ his father's voice echoed in his ears, wobbling his mind.

They couldn't leave tonight neither of them had fed. In addition, Anna was emotional! She would need a whole night and day to adjust to their situation, one thousand tears, and a good long cry would be needed before she was ready to leave. Regardless, they'd leave tomorrow night. One night and day for Anna and himself to digest everything, and one night and day for Gregory to come up with an escape plan. He plucked his leather jacket up off a tomb-stone, and slipped his arms through it, pulling the leather tightly to him.

Gregory's flicker of hope ignited again, spreading like a fire in his chest, _"_I _can_ do thi_s"_

A twig snapped, someone was lurking behind the cemetery gates. Gregory's internal fire blared.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Just pretend Anna is about eight years old - so a-lot younger than she was in the movie. I hope you enjoyed! This is going to be a short story, so one more chapter after this ._. Reviews are appreciated xoxoxo**


	2. Relief

_**Chapter Two**_

_**Relief**_

* * *

During the Eighteenth century, supernatural suspicion ran high among the streets of London. People scorned suspecting families shunning them from society. Mortals practiced many "Safety precautions" a common one was stringing garlic up by doors and windows, offering protection from the demons of the night. Effective but incredibly annoying for Gregory who enjoyed venturing out during the night. As the Sackville-Bagg family refused to drain the blood of humans, the family had to resist the innate desire for human blood.

Struggling to survive, Rudolph had the idea to feed from the blood of livestock._** So they did. **__But, taking only enough blood to keep existing, but never fully satisfying their immortal souls... Before long, People started to get suspicious of the family who was only seen at night. The family always strolling casually around the dark country side **without **the aid of a lantern. _When the farmer's cows went missing one by one._..people began to talk behind closed doors._

Gregory's eyes closed, savoring the quiet of the night.. but the taunting whirl pool appeared once again.

___One anguished summer's night, _an attack set upon the Sackville-Bag family. Near families advised to draw their curtains tightly, lock their doors, and ignore the sounds they may hear. Sustaining screams pierced the air, innocent blood spilled over the earth. Furious fires, and suffocating smoke burnt the Sackville-Bagg's two hundred year old home to the ground.

_Excruciatingly weak, and blinded by the thick black smoke Gregory became separated from his family during the flee._

_He fell from the sky, into the quiet of the country side - luckily for him, straight into a **dairy farm.** For the next two months he roamed the streets of London, rebelling against his father and drinking the blood of humans. Thoroughly enjoying night-life he spent his evenings prowling energetic areas and charming those who were foolish with innocence. Luring them in..deceiving them..satisfying his burning desires for human flesh and blood. He'd run their blood cold. _His charming and friendly façade masked a monster..During the day his guilt crept up on him, stinging him from the inside._ The emotion soothed by Gregory's high of killing again..and again..and again._

Opening up his eyes and back to reality, the moody teenager cracked his knuckles sharply.

A twig snapped. Just then from behind the cemetery fence Anna's voice came, relaxing he leaned against a grave-stone resting his weight on his hands. Moon light flickered over his darkened face, red irises that reflected back death smoldered. Beneath his vampiric eyes lay deep half-moons of darkness. The moon light sharpened the contours of his face, his sunken cheeks defining high prominent cheek bones. He pursed his pale lips, which had been well pigmentation and full when he was alive. With the limited time before Anna would run over to him, Gregory desperately trying to tried to remove the pained expression left by his three hundred year old remorse.

"Gregory!" his sister called, she skipped over to him long blonde hair bouncing at her shoulders a rose in her hand "Look what I've for you!"

As she loped over to him with a huge smile upon her china face, she handed Gregory the brilliant red rose. Hardly anybody came to mourn their two hundred year old ancestors, and leave roses in remembrance. Anna most likely plucked the flower from the rose-bush on the other side of the ancient iron fence. Most of the tomb-stones were cracking, stone angels were crumbling sadly and the engraved names eroded away with time. It was very much dead at first glance, but if you looked closely, you could see nature thriving and overruling the area. With a smile Gregory twirled the rose between his slender fingers, unsure of what to say.

"Anna that's.." he started, he looked into her innocent face, at loss for words "lovely.."

"You really think so?" Anna asked her eyes wide seeking brotherly approval, "I can get you another!" proceeding to run Gregory stopped her and he placed the rose beside him.

"No, it's okay Anna!" he caught her around the shoulders and twirled her playfully to him trying to lighten the dread of what he had to tell her next.

Anna laughed, "Oh, remember when we danced together at the spring ball?"

"I remember" Gregory replied, fond memories came flooding back to him briefly._ The bright candle lights, the long waltzes, his sweet heart looking as beautiful as ever with rosy cheeks and her black hair in ringlets. He would give anything to go back in time. _

With a long exhale, he gestured for Anna to sit in front of him. Gregory placed his palms together with his finger tips pointing to the sky, this was the body language his father adopted when in thought. He inhaled deeply and looked up at his younger sister, bracing himself for her explosive tears. _Can vampire's cry..? _This confrontation was going to break his sister's all ready non-beating heart, and crush his own into dust. He has to tell her... she had to know what had happened to them.

"Listen Anna, I-I" he stuttered, her eyes wide with everlasting childhood innocence, he faltered. He couldn't get the words out, but it could no longer be belated. Their lives - their existence was at stake.

_I don't know how to tell you this_

Silence.

_Come on Gregory, what are you playing at?_

Owl hoots in the distance.

_You'll just make it worse for the pair of us - just say it!_

"Anna" he began.

* * *

..Hours later..

Gregory climbed into the dusty catacombs, he sees Anna huddled in a corner her dress pooling around her. The stoic vampire had very few points in being sympathetic, he knew Anna needed a parent's hug. With extreme awkwardness Gregory sat next to Anna, unsure of what to do.

"It'll be- okay- Anna" he managed to string out, Anna's shoulders jumped with sobs and she sniffles.

Sighing Gregory reached out a pale hand and patted his sister's head, he knew his attempts at comforting his sister were pathetic. He decided physical affection wasn't the way to go about comforting the weeping girl in fact it he knew it would just make it worse. With his conversational skills he decided to distract Anna from thinking of their parents.

A hush fell over the catacombs. What was he going to say to her? Briefly Gregory scanned the catacombs for inspiration, and he saw entwined in stony beige dust and words engraved upon the walls. That there was a tiny flower carved delicately in the wall, Gregory remembered the rose Anna gave him.

"You like flowers?" Gregory suddenly pointed out, caught mid sob Anna looked up and nodded.

"and you also know a fair amount about different flowers don't you?"

It was true, when they were children Anna loved to bombard the local gardeners with questions about plants.

"y-yes" she choked "I-I do, why?"

_Yes Gregory.._ the voice in his head hissed, _why? _

_Quick think quickly.. _the stony walls echoed the quiet.

"Well." started Gregory, "I lack, _er_, knowledge in the floral department so I, _uh_ need your help"

"Help?"

He nodded and forced a half-smile. Anna had perked up now, and was sitting up straight.

"Where are we escaping to Gregory?"

"To the country" he replied happily "We're going home"

Anna's wide eyes became dish plates, "Truly?"

He nodded again, Gregory is a character of few words.

"Do you know" he inquired slowly and looked towards the floral carving, "how we know when we are safe?"

Anna sniffled once more and look up at her older brother, "When?"

"When _you_" Gregory dropped his voice to a gentle whisper, "See the first rustic rose"

"that is when we are safe and in the country-"

"I know what a country rose looks like!" the girl interjected excitedly, in a cloud of dust she twirled once and skipped around a corner.

"I'm going to play Gregory!" Anna's voice called

Sinking against the wall, Gregory smirked in relief.

_Thank God. _

with his eyes closed he declared "Our rustic flower escape..begins"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**What did you think...? When I had the ideas in my head a few weeks ago, it _sounded_ like a good story. But now reading it, it's just like -_- "heh just kidding" Reviews are appreciated :) **


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